Possibly the Happiest Ballpark on Earth : Disney Magic and a Winning Angels Team Would Make a Good Double-Play for Fans

Baseball’s playoffs continue while the Angels, whose hopes for a special season fell short, must await another spring. But as much as disappointment followed a summer of excitement, this year also contained some significant off-the-field news. The league owners are scheduled to consider a plan by Disney officials to buy part of the team.

The question of the role of Disney in the future of the franchise has brought anticipation and a certain measure of uncertainty. A previous foray by the company into Orange County sports, the Mighty Ducks hockey team, created a kind of electricity at a brand-new rink.

However, baseball is a sport that has its own rhythms, and already there are questions about whether skits, mascots and cartoons and blaring stereo speakers somehow will intrude on the grand old game.

The marketing practices in place with the Mighty Ducks offer a hint, and already Angel home games have had such things as Disney characters on the stadium Jumbotron screen between innings. There are more live shots of fans shown between innings. Music has been jazzed up.

There is also talk of renovating Anaheim Stadium for baseball only now that the Rams have gone. That could make for a more exciting ballpark experience for fans.

Baseball fans want results, and cosmetic improvements alone are unlikely to keep the merely curious in seats for very long. The experience of the Cleveland Indians, with a new park and winning team, has demonstrated that winning matters.

The promising stars that the Angels put on the field this season suggest that being a winner can be part of the package. But it is also true that the emphasis on atmosphere, without overdoing it, can brighten the adventure of going to the ballpark.

Talent and the right Disney touch ought to be a good double-play combination. Done right, it can mean promising days ahead for Angels fans.